Making Choices
by Little Miss Nicap
Summary: Having been found after his abduction in Oregon, Mulder must make a choice between those that he loves the most... but that choice has its own consequences of whether Mulder lives or dies. Post ep Requiem, and a continuation/follow up of "All of 'all things'".


AN: I wrote this story all the way back in July 2001 and completely forgot about it. Found a printed copy of it when I was tidying up to move houses, yay! I have tweaked it so it reads a little smoother but other than that it's still the same story from over 14 years ago! I will say that this story incorporates a particular passage of my other fanfic "All of 'all things'". You don't actually have to had read that fanfic to understand this one, but I believe it would certainly help if you have read "All of 'all things'" prior to reading this story as it's a continuation from that 'universe'. Also note: I'm not a medical doctor. If anything that happens is not medically accurate... oh well. Here's hoping the 6 new eps in the new year are as good as the original series was. Who knows, maybe I'll be inspired to write another Mulder/Scully one shot? But my main focus is Alex/Olivia from SVU these days ;-) Anyhoo, I hope readers enjoy and please let me know what you think :-)

Ep References: One Breath; Colony; 'all things'; Requiem.

* * *

 _Mulder stood in a stark white room only dressed in a hospital gown. Dazed and confused, he looked around and wondered why he was there. The last thing he remembered for certain was being in the woods in Bellefleur, Oregon... his hand shaking violently in the forcefield... numerous people... then bright light._

 _All those people... abductees... he was an abductee too. His mind reeled at the revelation and yet he couldn't remember anything else._

 _He was taken aback when a hooded figure suddenly appeared before him. Mulder tilted his head and squinted, desperately trying to see who... or what... was beneath the hood._

 _Was it human?_

 _Alien?_

 _Demonic?_

 _Angelic?_

 _Something else entirely?_

 _"You must make your choice," it said._

 _Mulder was puzzled, "Choice?"_

 _"There will be others here soon enough. Who you choose to go with will determine your fate. Choose carefully," the figure replied before disappearing._

 _'Err... ok?' thought Mulder as his brows furrowed._

 _He looked around the expansive room. Noone was there. He was the only one._

* * *

Scully was roused from her broken sleep by the telephone. It had been just over a month since the day that changed her life. In less than twenty-four hours, her life had changed for the better... and the worst. She had heard four words that she never thought she would ever hear. Two of then were: _'You're pregnant'_. The other two were: _'Mulder's gone'_.

Mulder had gone back to Oregon, accompanied by Assistant Director Walter Skinner, searching for answers. Answers to why people were being abducted again. One moment Mulder was there, setting up lasers. The next... he was gone. Vanished without a trace. Even though Skinner had been partially blinded by the UFO's light, it was that moment he finally believed in Mulder and Scully's _'farcical alien stories'_.

Scully drowsily searched for the phone on the bedside tale and answered it. In the last month, sleep had been an extremely rare luxury.

"Hello?" she yawned.

"Agent Scully, it's Skinner."

"Sir?"

"It's about..." Skinner hesitated, "...Mulder..."

Scully sat bolt upright when Skinner spoke Mulder's name. That name, Mulder, meant a great deal to her. Sure, they had been co-workers since March 6, 1992 and best friends for most of that time. However, only a few months ago, they had taken their relationship to a new level and became lovers.

Skinner continued after a beat, "...He was found in Raleigh, North Carolina."

"Raleigh?!" Scully questioned, now fully awake and starting to get dressed.

"Yes. To be specific, lying on top of his mother's grave. The custodian of the cemetery found him. He's been transported to Raleigh General Hospital."

"How... how was his condition?" asked Scully, mentally preparing herself for the worst.

"I'm on my way to pick you up now, Agent Scully," Skinner avoided the question.

" _Damnit_! _Answer_ the question! How was he? What condition is he in?" Scully demanded with no nonsense tone.

Skinner sighed, "He's pretty bad."

" _How_ bad?"

"He's in a coma."

Scully took a sharp breath and steadied herself against the wall.

"I'm going to be at your apartment in around-" Skinner started to say but was cut off by Scully hanging up the phone.

 _'Coma... Mulder's in a coma,'_ thought Scully, just holding off the tears that threatened to fall.

She continued dressing frantically and hastily packed a small bag for herself. Five minutes later there was a knock at the door from Skinner. They left for Raleigh immediately without any words being spoken. The gentle movement of the vehicle lulled Scully back to sleep within minutes of her and Skinner departing and allowed her to get the sleep she had desperately sought for week. Also, for the first time in ages, Scully dreamed. She dreamt of the first time she and Mulder ever made love. It was after Mulder had returned from England and Scully had gotten Daniel Waterston out of her life for the second time.

 _Scully lifted her head and lightly brushed her lips against Mulders. She pulled back so she was looking right at Mulder and in a barely audible whisper and quite a tremble, she said "Make love to me"._

 _Scully searched his eyes, looking for his response._

 _"A... are... you... sure?" was all Mulder could manage._  
 _Scully nodded. "I want you to make love to me" still whispering, but in a stronger voice._  
 _"Wha... what... about... protection? I... I mean... if... if you want me to... I'll have to go get some."_  
 _"Mulder? When... when was the last time... you had... unprotected sex?"_  
 _This was easy for Mulder to answer._  
 _"Never," Mulder answered._  
 _"Never?!" Scully responded to the answer just given._  
 _"Uh-huh."_  
 _"Mulder... are you... a virgin?"_  
 _"no... NO!"_

 _A sort of relief washed over Scully._

 _Mulder continued, "I haven't been with many women, Scully. It's just that I've always worn protection. That's why I asked."_

 _Scully nodded again. Her eyes wandered the room while she said "I haven't had many sexual partners myself, but I've always made them wear protection... And I vowed it would be that way until I found the right person."_

 _Her eyes slowly found Mulder's, "I've found the right person."_

 _The first time they ever made love, they were scared. They felt as though they were virgins losing their virginity for the very first time. In a way they were, but they were both glad they were losing it to each other. They just lay there holding each other and looking deep into each others eyes after making love. Mulder noticed tears escaping Scully's eye and brushed them away with his thumb. Scully felt foolish for crying, but she saw that Mulder had tears in his eyes too. No words were audibly spoken because there was no need. They had just don the most intimate act human beings can do._

 _'Love you,' mouthed Scully._

 _'Love you too,' Mulder responded in kind._

Scully was jolted awake by the Taurus going over a speed bump to the parking lot of Raleigh General Hospital. Skinner parked the vehicle as close to the entrance as he could and both hopped out. As they entered the building, Scully took a deep breath in an attempt to mentally prepare herself for what possibly lay ahead.

Skinner flashed his badge at the woman at the computer when he and Scully halted at the nurses station, "The room for Fox Mulder, please? He was brought in this morning."

The woman typed on the keyboard and gave a pained smile as she waited for the information to appear. She scanned the screen then looked up, "ICU. Room 925, but only immediate family may see that patient, sir."

Scully scanned the signs on the wall for the directions then started towards the room immediately. She didn't care for the rules right now. What she did need right now was to see Mulder, and noone and nothing was going to stop her.

"Agent Scully!" Skinner called as he went after her. He caught up to the red head within seconds, grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Scully, you _can't_ go in there. Immediate family only at this stage."

"Mulder _has_ no family, except for the family _I'm_ carrying!" Scully rebutted, unconsciously placing a gentle hand on her stomach. "I'm _going_ to see Mulder."

Federal Agent and the Assistant Director glared at each other in a silent standoff. Skinner could see the fire in Scully's eyes and he knew she wouldn't back down now. He let her arm go, then nodded in agreement. If anyone was going to challenge Scully's right to see Mulder, Skinner would back her one hundred percent. With a terse nod of her own, Scully pushed passed Skinner and continued towards the ICU. With Skinner following a few steps behind, it wasn't long before they reached their destination.

"How is he?" Scully asked as a doctor exited room 925.

"Are you family?" the doctor questioned, not looking up from the chart he was perusing.

"I'm _Doctor_ Scully," she responded with an air of authority, even though she had none here. "I personally know Mul-... Fox Mulder."

The doctor looked up from the chart, "The patient was in a coma when he was brought in. We've done as much as we can, but it's all up to him now. He's deciding whether he's going to live or die, and only time will tell."

"I would like to see him," Scully said matter-of-factly.

The doctor stepped aside from the door and left the two members of the FBI alone.

Scully slowly reached for the handle of the door.

"Scu-... Dana. I'm here if you need," offered Skinner.

"I can do this, but thankyou," replied Scully softly, avoiding eye contact.

She opened the door and walked inside the intensive care room. There was Mulder, lying helplessly in the bed. Tubes, IV's and monitors everywhere. It was at that moment that Scully fully comprehended what Mulder went through when he himself found out that she had been returned in a coma. She tentatively made her way over and pulled the chair next to the bed. Scully sat down, took his right hand in hers and broke down crying. There was nothing she could do for him. It was all up to Mulder.

* * *

 _As Mulder slowly wandered around the stark room, he saw figures begin to appear. A small group of three people to one side of the room. A single familiar female to the other._

* * *

Scully didn't wipe away her tears. She let them flow freely just as she had done so for the past few weeks of Mulder being gone. She watched his chest rise and fall, knowing that at any moment he could stop breathing and again he could be gone from her life. She leant over and gently pressed her lips to his cheek, then inhaled his scent as if this could be the last time ever.

"Love you," she murmured into Mulder's ear, then sat back down on the chair to watch over him.

* * *

 _'Love you,' the familiar woman mouthed._

 _"SCULLY! Mulder called out._

 _"She can't speak to you, and you can't hear her. She's alive, whereas you're still deciding, son," the male of the group of three said. It was Bill Mulder._

 _"Dad?! Mom?! Samantha?!" Mulder gasped in shock after turning back around._

 _This was the first time since before Samantha's abduction that the Mulder family was all together. There was a time when Samantha came back, except that was a clone... and the Samantha standing before him was about the age of fourteen._

 _Mulder was suddenly torn. He didn't know who to choose. He wanted to be with this family... he always had. But he loved Scully deeply._

 _"Come now, Fox. We've lost so much time and now we have the opportunity to be a family once again," Teena pleaded with her eldest._

 _"I've been waiting for us to be a family again for so long, Buttmunch!" Samantha said, tears welling in her eyes._

 _Mulder let out a laugh, "Buttmunch."_

* * *

Scully noticed the heart monitor was beeping less often now. Even without her medical training, she knew Mulder was dying. As she bowed her head, a glint of gold caught her eye. Her cross... actually Missy's cross. Scully had given Mulder her own cross and chain to wear when he returned to Oregon, so she had taken to wearing her sister's cross and chain for comfort. At that moment, Scully did the only thing she knew. She placed her other hand over the little cross and prayed.

* * *

 _"C'mon, son. We are family, so let us be a family once more," Bill Mulder stated._

 _Mulder looked at his family, then over to Scully. She was standing there with tears slipping down her cheeks._

* * *

"I doubt you'll hear this... but I have to tell you now in case I never get to again," Scully gently played with his hand. "I'm pregnant, Mulder."

* * *

 _He looked at Scully oddly after she mouthed, 'I'm pregnant, Mulder.'_

 _"Fox? Can we please be a family again?" Samantha pleaded, wiping the tears away._

 _Mulder looked back and forth between the ones he loved, trying to decide his own fate._

 _'I've made my choice,' he thought to himself after much internal deliberation._

 _He smiled at his family, then at Scully._

 _"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Mulder said sadly while looking directly at Scully. He looked back at his family and walked over to where they were standing._

* * *

Suddenly the heart rate monitor flatlined.

"NOOOOOO!" Scullly screamed out in anguish while the high pitched sound of the monitor pierced the air.

Several nurses swarmed back into the room while the doctor from a little earlier grabbed the defibrillator. A nurse tried to direct Scully out of the room as the paddled were being gelled, but Scully wasn't going anywhere.

"CLEAR!"

* * *

 _Mulder leant down and gave Samantha a bear hug._

* * *

"Still flatline! Gimme more juice!... ...CLEAR!"

* * *

 _Mulder stood up and embraced his mother._

* * *

"No change! Increase it!... ... CLEAR!"

* * *

 _Mulder walked to his father. Bill extended his hand for his son to shake. Mulder ignored it and instead hugged his father warmly._

* * *

"He's gone. Call it," the doctor shook his head.

"NO! YOU DO IT AGAIN!" Scully demanded.

"Doctor Scully, the man is dead. He's made his choice."

"AND I SAY DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN! IF YOU WON'T, I WILL!" Scully threatened. She wildly grabbed for the defib paddles in the doctor's hand as the nurse tried to hold her back.

"Alright! Alright!" The doctor relented in a hope to calm the agitated woman. "CLEAR!"

* * *

 _Mulder took a step back so he could see his family. He gave his father, mother and sister a warm smile._

 _"Goodbye," he whispered to them and started to make his way over to Scully._

 _"Fox? What are you doing?" Bill Mulder was puzzled at his son's actions._

 _"Aren't you coming to be with us?" Teena questioned._

 _Samantha called out to her brother, "Don't you want to be a family again?"_

 _Mulder turned around, "We have always been a family, and always will be. But it's not my time yet. My future is with Scully. I need to be with her right now and she needs me. She's my family now. We'll all be together one day... not just right now."_

 _Once again, Mulder turned and slowly walked over towards Scully._

* * *

"We got a rhythm!" a nurse exclaimed.

Scully and the doctor looked at the monitor and watched the line jump while they heard the beeping getting louder and more constant with every passing moment.

It was some time after their patient was stable before the doctor and the nurses left the room, leaving Scully alone with Mulder once more. Scully carefully picked up Mulder's hand and held it again before she lay her head on the bed and closed her eyes.

"I love you, Mulder."

* * *

 _Mulder walked over to Scully and each smiled adoringly at the other._

 _"I love you, Mulder," Scully said audibly._

 _Mulder was stunned, "I-I... I can hear you!"_

 _"Of course you can hear me. You're alive," she laughed softly._

 _"Did... did you say you were pregnant?" Mulder asked hesitantly._

 _Scully had the most enigmatic smile on her face as she placed Mulder's hand on her stomach and held it there with her own._

 _"I love you too, Scully," Mulder responded. He gave her a long, slow kiss before he carefully took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze._

* * *

Scully pulled back from the bed in shock. Mulder had ever so lightly squeezed her hand. She knew then and there, and in her heart, that Mulder was going to be alright.

It was a few days later when Mulder woke from his comatose state. Scully never left the room and when she slept in the bed the nurses graciously set up next to Mulder's, Skinner kept watch over both of them.

"Hey you," Mulder smiled when he woke.

"Hey yourself," Scully answered.

They just looked at each other, their eyes speaking a thousand words, before Scully leant down and kissed Mulder's beautiful lips. After Scuully informed Mulder of what had occurred... Oregon, him being found, the last few days... she knew it was time to tell Mulder the most important news of all.

"Mulder... I need to tell you something." Scully took a few moments to find the right words, "I... I'm..."

"Pregnant," Mulder finished off for her. "I already know."

Scully stared at Mulder in disbelief, "How? How did you-"

"You told me, Scully. I heard you tell me. You and me... and the baby... we're gonna be a family," he said with that patented Mulder half-smile.

The short silence was broken by Mulder, "Do... do you know when you fell pregnant?"

Scully nodded. She knew exactly when. She reached out and interlaced her fingers with his, "The first time we ever made love."


End file.
